WOMEN IN SPORTS: There’s no debate  cheerleading is a sport

Saturday

Nov 2, 2013 at 9:01 AM

By Sarah Jane CliffordContributing Columnist

In our area — in other words, in Section V — the high school girl’s fall sports are gymnastics, field hockey, cross country, golf, tennis, swimming and diving, volleyball, and cheerleading.Yes, cheerleadingLet’s face it there, is no more of an athletic endeavor than cheerleading.A recent study led by researcher Hermann Engels of Wayne State University concluded that competitive cheerleaders are in the same league physically as Olympic soccer and gymnastic contenders.The study, which was one of the first of its kind, measured the fitness and physiology of 33 female high school cheerleaders.The researchers put the cheerleaders through some rigorous days of testing which included workouts on treadmills, stationary cycles and bend-and-reach tests. These tests measured the cheerleaders’ workout capacity, flexibility and lean body mass.The results were not surprising to anyone familiar with cheerleading. The cheerleaders ranked very high in their fitness and strength. As a matter of fact, they ranked as well as any top-level athlete and showed "superior athletic fitness."Whether an individual cheered in junior high school or they have no cheerleading experience, it takes a great deal of sweat and tears to become a high school cheerleader. Let’s take a quick look at some of the process.CAMPAt camp, cheerleading candidates will learn cheers, dances, and stunts, all while playing games and bonding with other participants. Camp usually lasts about three to four days and is from sun-up to sun-down, so each individual can expect to be exhausted (in a good way) by the time they head home!There are several different types of camps an individual or, for that matter, an entire squad can attend including resident camps and private camps. Resident camps, usually involves travel to a college or university and include a stay in a dormitory for three or four nights. Private camps are usually held in the privacy of a high school and feature one-on-one instruction from the staff. There also are many other types of camps.TRYOUTSDepending on the coach or cheerleading advisor at each school, the tryout date can be scheduled anytime from late winter to early spring. The process usually lasts an entire week.All high school tryouts are different, but at most, the candidate will start off the week by taking a “cheerleading clinic” after school where they will learn a cheer, sideline and dance. Each day until the day of tryouts, usually involves practice and trying to perfect each move. Some schools may set aside time at the clinics to work on tumbling and stunt skills as well.On the day of tryouts a candidate will usually be part of a group of three to four others.Candidates are usually instructed to perform a run-out with optional tumbling, a toe touch, and the cheer and dance you learned at the beginning of the week. Normally, a panel of three to five judges will score each candidate on spirit, eye contact, sharpness, and ability.Once everyone has tried out, the results will either be called out or posted.PRACTICESIn most cases, high school practices will be held after school anywhere from three to five times a week. They usually last a couple of hours and can consist of stunt practice, cheer practice, or competition practice, depending on what is coming up.GAMESCheering at games can be different at every high school. Most squads will cheer for football and basketball only, but many cheerleading squads are now making appearances at baseball games, soccer games, volleyball games, and wrestling matches. There are pep rallies, homecoming, and spirit days that most of the student body will participate in.SCHOOLCheerleaders will more than likely be given a list of rules that they must abide by throughout the year to remain on the cheerleading squad, and the cheer coaches and advisors will check on a regular basis to make sure their cheerleaders are living up to the standards they have set. This may include maintaining a certain grade point average, showing up on time for class, always having homework and maybe even being involved in a few on-campus activities or completing a certain number of community service hours.As you can see, it’s not all that easy to be a cheerleader. Being a cheerleader, however, will most certainly help a person to excel and be prepared for future endeavors.If you have information, ideas, comments or suggestions for “Women Sports Now & Then” please contact Sarah Jane Clifford at 585-388-8686. Her e-mail is gtc@frontiernet.net. Clifford owns and operates The Gymnastics Training Center of Rochester, Inc., 2051 Fairport Nine Mile Point Rd., Penfield, NY 14526.